The following letter is provided for
the purpose of an accurate understanding of the status of Medjugorje as of May 1998, and
not as an endorsement or statement on EWTN's part, either in favor or against. This
translation of the original text should be considered unofficial.

To His Excellency Mons. Gilbert Aubry,
Bishop of Saint-Denis de la Reunion

Excellency:

In your letter of January 1, 1998, you submitted to
this Dicastery several questions about the position of the Holy See and of the Bishop of
Mostar in regard to the so called apparitions of Medjugorje, private pilgrimages and the
pastoral care of the faithful who go there.

In regard to this matter, I think it is impossible to
reply to each of the questions posed by Your Excellency. The main thing I would like to
point out is that the Holy See does not ordinarily take a position of its own regarding
supposed supernatural phenomena as a court of first instance. As for the credibility of
the "apparitions" in question, this Dicastery respects what was decided by the
bishops of the former Yugoslavia in the Declaration of Zadar, April 10, 1991: "On the
basis of the investigations so far, it can not be affirmed that one is dealing with
supernatural apparitions and revelations." Since the division of Yugoslavia into
different independent nations it would now pertain to the members of the Episcopal
Conference of Bosnia-Hercegovina to eventually reopen the examination of this case, and to
make any new pronouncements that might be called for.

What Bishop Peric said in his letter to the Secretary
General of "Famille Chretienne", declaring: "My conviction and my position
is not only 'non constat de supernaturalitate,' but likewise, 'constat de non
supernaturalitate' of the apparitions or revelations in Medjugorje", should be
considered the expression of the personal conviction of the Bishop of Mostar which he has
the right to express as Ordinary of the place, but which is and remains his personal
opinion.

Finally, as regards pilgrimages to Medjugorje, which
are conducted privately, this Congregation points out that they are permitted on condition
that they are not regarded as an authentification of events still taking place and which
still call for an examination by the Church.

I hope that I have replied satisfactorily at least to
the principal questions that you have presented to this Dicastery and I beg Your
Excellency to accept the expression of my devoted sentiments.